What are the causes and effects of World War II?

World War I
was the main cause of World War II, for several reasons. First, the German people reacted very
badly to the German surrender, which many regarded as a backstab, and even more so to the
Versailles treaty, which they were forced to sign without negotiation. The treaty made them take
complete blame for the war, demanded onerous reparation payments, and severely limited the size
of the German military. These were perceived as humiliating conditions. Almost as soon as the
war was over, demagogues, notably Adolph Hitler, were able to use the circumstances of the
defeat to blame Jews, advocate for fighting back to avenge the German people and eventually to
seize political power.

World War I also led to World War II because it caused
an enormous distaste for war among the political classes and average citizens in countries like
France and England, who could have stopped Hitler early on if they had had the will. The
political leadership, however, wanted to avoid another disastrous bloodbath like World War I at
all costs. Therefore, rather than confronting Hitler when he first began his land grabs, they
let him get away with his aggressions. Each time he took territory, they thought he would
finally be satisfied, not realizing that each victory simply whetted his appetite for more.
Further, many leaders were terrified of communism and believed a strong, large Germany would
provide a good buffer between Western Europe and Russia.

The Western leaders
(except for Churchill, who was not in power at the time) misread Hitler as being ruled by the
same rational desire to avoid a world war that drove their own thinking. They learned too late
that he had a completely different worldview.

One effect of the war was to
force the United States to finally accept the mantle of the world's superpower. Other results
were the creation of the United Nations and a forty-year division of Europe into two spheres,
communist and capitalist.